The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, on 16 June 2026.
These sanctions target the vessels, the money and the actors propping up Russia’s war economy, and in turn, threatening European security.
Working with our G7 allies, we will continue to increase the pressure in Putin and his circle of collaborators until Russia’s war machine is brought to a halt and peace returns to our continent.
![PRESS RELEASE : UK clamps down on shady networks supplying Putin’s illegal war with new sanctions package [June 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/newfco-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 June 2026.
UK announces major new sanctions package choking off Russia’s war effort across multiple fronts.
The UK has unleashed a major new sanctions package choking off Russia’s war effort across multiple fronts.
New action directly targets Russia’s illicit shadow fleet and finance networks used to circumvent Western sanctions and support military procurement.
Today’s sanctions further crack down on Russia’s decrepit and ageing shadow fleet, targeting more than 20 oil tankers with new and enhanced powers introduced last month. The UK is also tightening the net around those who are suspected of enabling Putin’s illicit oil trade, further sanctioning ship insurers and other shipping services.
The UK is the first G7 country to sanction several Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vessels recently acquired by Russia at great expense to service Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project, responsible for exporting millions of tonnes of LNG, in an attempt to source dirty revenue for the Kremlin.
These sanctions target the vessels, the money and the actors propping up Russia’s war economy, and in turn, threatening European security.
Working with our G7 allies, we will continue to increase the pressure in Putin and his circle of collaborators until Russia’s war machine is brought to a halt and peace returns to our continent.
As the Kremlin resorts to ever more shady tactics to sustain its war, from its ageing shadow fleet to covert finance networks, the UK remains one step ahead in shutting them down.
These sanctions strike at the heart of these murky efforts, to starve Putin’s war machine and defend Britain’s security.
Shoulder to shoulder with our G7 partners, the UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Those who are suspected of enabling the sale of tankers to Russia’s shadow fleet will be exposed and face action. UK sanctions are greatly limiting Russia’s ability to trade oil – in 2025 the Arctic LNG-2 terminal only exported 1.3 million tons of LNG despite having capacity to export over 13.5 million tons a year.
To date, the UK has now sanctioned more than 600 shadow fleet and Russian LNG vessels.
New measures also expose and target a Russian military intelligence (GRU) network centred around GRU front company LLC Neptune Co Ltd (‘Neptune’).
Neptune is involved in covertly procuring western technology for Russia’s military.
Today’s actions target three companies and 10 GRU officers suspected of acquiring military technology that Russia desperately needs to sustain its military aggression in Ukraine.
Elsewhere, sanctions also hit third country suppliers of critical military equipment to Russia in China, Thailand and Türkiye. Several organisations helping Russia illegally move money, bypassing western sanctions, are also targeted including one entity in Nigeria supporting the illicit finance network A7’s sanctions evasions scheme.
Gathering in Évian-les-Bains, G7 Leaders will discuss their joint determination to tackle the single largest threat to global security – Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.
As the UK increases pressure on Russia’s war economy, today’s action demonstrates an unshakeable determination to defend security in Ukraine, Europe and at home.
![PRESS RELEASE : Keir Starmer meeting with Chancellor Merz of Germany [June 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/downingstreet-150x150.png)
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 June 2026.
The Prime Minister met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz along with their spouses at the G7 summit in France.
The leaders began by reflecting on the summit so far, and welcomed the peace deal struck between the US and Iran.
Turning to the close relationship between the UK and Europe, the leaders discussed the UK’s ambition to get closer to the EU. The Prime Minister said he believed good progress had been made, but there was more to be done to benefit people both in the UK and Europe.
The Prime Minister also updated on his decision to ban social media platforms in the UK, announced earlier today.
The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.
![PRESS RELEASE : £219 million to power Britain’s green aviation revolution [June 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/transportlogo-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 16 June 2026.
£219 million boost for sustainable aviation fuel to cut emissions and back UK innovation and jobs.
UK homegrown sustainable aviation fuel production given a boost thanks to a new £219 million low carbon fuels fund (LCFF) which will launch later this summer, powering up economic growth and supporting thousands of jobs across the country.
Innovative companies from across the UK are invited to bid for a share of £93 million over the next two years to develop low carbon fuel, with applications opening in mid-July. The fund will focus support on the most promising projects meaning those closest to the actual production stage.
Today’s announcement (16 June 2026) builds on £198 million already invested through the advanced fuels fund (AFF) since 2022 to scale up cleaner aviation technologies. Low carbon fuel production could add up to £5 billion to the economy by 2050 and position the UK as a global hub for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.
Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, Keir Mather, said:
This £219 million is the next chapter in Britain’s green aviation revolution. We’re backing brilliant British innovation, creating thousands of high-skilled jobs and making sure the UK leads the world in the fuels that will power the future of flight.
This kind of investment is exactly how we kickstart economic growth, open up exciting new opportunities for young people and make our holidays greener and cleaner.
SAF is an alternative to fossil jet fuel which reduces greenhouse gas emissions on average by 70% on a lifecycle basis, making it a key technology that will allow UK aviation to grow capacity while meeting its net zero commitments.
Growing a thriving domestic SAF industry will give investors the confidence they need to back new production plants in the UK, creating well-paid, skilled jobs in communities the length and breadth of the country.
Investment in low carbon fuels is investment in the future of aviation. For young people looking to build a career, the UK’s growing SAF industry offers some of the most innovative and exciting opportunities anywhere in the economy, from engineering and science to construction and manufacturing.
Alongside the new fund, the government is today launching a Call for Evidence on the SAF Mandate which requires an increasing proportion of jet fuel supplied in the UK to be sustainable, starting at 2% in 2025, rising to 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040. The UK is already seeing encouraging growth in SAF supply.
The Call for Evidence will explore what current global supply projections for different types of sustainable fuel mean for meeting the SAF Mandate’s targets in the coming years.
This is part of an ongoing and collaborative approach with industry to ensure the scheme remains responsive to an evolving market. Overall mandate targets are not under consideration for reduction, with proposals focusing on strengthening the scheme for the future.
Keith Packer, Managing Director of British Sugar, said:
We are very pleased to see the launch of the DfT’s low carbon fuels fund and the clear commitment to further development of homegrown sustainable aviation fuel in the UK. At British Sugar, following a grant from the advanced fuels fund, the British BioJet project at our Wissington site is exploring the development of a sizeable demonstration plant.
It will utilise our existing waste feedstocks with ethanol-to-jet technology to produce 1,500 tonnes of SAF – supporting the growth in cleaner, greener jobs and investment. We welcome this next phase of funding to develop SAF, and look forward to making an application so that we can continue supporting the government’s ambition for net-zero aviation.
Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive of LanzaTech, said:
Today’s investment by the UK government strengthens the UK’s position as a global leader in sustainable aviation fuel production. It will help companies like LanzaTech turn waste into green jet fuel, creating skilled jobs and economic growth for example in Humberside, where we are developing a new SAF facility capable of supplying around 1% of the UK’s jet fuel demand.
The call for evidence on future SAF targets is also an important step towards giving industry the long-term certainty needed to scale production and accelerate private investment today and beyond 2030.
STORY
The Government is facing criticism over its plan to ban under-16s from using major social media platforms, with campaigners, parents and technology companies raising concerns about how the policy will work in practice. Ministers have said social media companies will be blocked from offering services to children under 16 from spring 2027, with the measure intended to protect children from harmful content, addictive design and contact from strangers.
The announcement has been criticised by some safety campaigners and digital rights groups, who said a ban could prove difficult to enforce and may fail to address the design of online platforms. The Molly Rose Foundation warned before the announcement that a rushed ban could “unravel”, while other critics have said children may move to less regulated services, use VPNs or lose access to online spaces they rely on for support. Technology companies including Meta, YouTube and Snapchat have also warned that a blanket ban could have unintended consequences.
The Government has said the plans follow public consultation and form part of wider measures covering social media, livestreaming, stranger contact and AI chatbots. Ministers have said the rules will be enforced through age assurance requirements overseen by Ofcom, rather than by punishing children themselves. The Children’s Commissioner welcomed action to protect children online, but the debate has continued over whether the policy is a workable safeguard or a poorly handled response to wider problems with online safety.
![PRESS RELEASE : Almost 180 more Youth Hubs to help young people build skills and find jobs [June 2026]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/dwp-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 15 June 2026.
Thousands of young people across Great Britain will benefit from access to expanded employment and wrap-around support services as the locations of almost 180 new Youth Hubs are confirmed this morning [15 June 2026].
The rollout forms part of a national expansion of Youth Hubs to over 360 areas with the aim that a young person is no more than one hour away from a Youth Hub by public transport.
This will ensure that vital support, delivered in the community, is available to even more young people, making local support services accessible, no matter where they live.
From football clubs to colleges and libraries, the hubs bring together local mental health and housing support, skills and training opportunities as well as careers guidance and work opportunities with links to local employers with live job and apprenticeship opportunities.
Confirmation of the next wave of Youth Hubs came shortly after Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden visited a youth point – the Dutch equivalent of Youth Hubs – during a fact-finding trip to the Netherlands, which has one of the world’s lowest NEET rates.
We want to make sure young people are getting real, personalised support, that’s not one size fits all. I’ve seen how it can change lives.
Our Youth Hubs have over the past two years pioneered this approach – bringing job centre services together with mental health support, housing advice and more.
I want to turbocharge this rollout so that every young person has this support within reach that can help them move into learning or earning.
Yesterday the Work and Pensions Secretary visited the Tower Hamlets Youth Hub, located in the Feldy Community Centre, where he met young people who are currently receiving personalised guidance to allow them to move into employment and training. The Secretary of State heard from young people who have already been helped by the Hub, and how the range of support offered will be central to them moving forward.
We’re proud to launch the Tower Hamlets Youth Hub at the Feldy Centre in Poplar this June, supporting local young people to move into work, training or volunteering.
This welcoming, community-based space brings together personalised support – from CV writing and job applications to accredited training and wellbeing advice – helping young people build confidence and skills.
By working with partners like Jobcentre Plus, we’re removing barriers and creating clear, positive pathways into employment for local young people.
Since opening in May 2026, The Tower Hamlets Youth Hub has established itself as an exemplary Youth Hub, working with local stakeholder and partners to ensure a joined-up approach, bringing together access to mental health, wellbeing, employment and skills support for local young people.
Over the next three years, the Government is expanding its network of Youth Hubs to over 360 local areas across Great Britain. This will connect every 16-to-24-year-old across the country and provide themreal opportunities in their local area, ensuring each person has access to high-quality, wide-ranging support to move towards learning or earning.
Our new Youth Hubs will meet young people where they are, in football stadiums and community venues across Britain, giving them access to housing support, mental health help and a clear pathway into work or training, exactly as Alan Milburn recommended.
Youth Hubs are a key part of the £2.5 billion investment in the Youth Guarantee and come alongside changes to the Growth and Skills Levy which aim to refocus the skills system towards people at the start of their working life.
The government is also supporting businesses to hire young workers with a Youth Jobs Grant worth £3,000 for every 18- to 24-year-old hired who has been on Universal Credit for six months, while a £2,000 apprenticeship incentive is available for each new employee aged 16 to 24 taken on by a small business.
Ensuring every young person has the chance to earn or learn through the government’s Youth Guarantee and turning the tide on the nation’s high NEET rate is essential to driving the nation’s plan for growth.
The DWP will now work with local authorities and partner organisations to identify the best locations for the hubs.
Youth Hubs may open ahead of the roll out schedule detailed below subject to local readiness.
Hubs opened in Year One (since announcement in March 2026):
Wandsworth, Stockton-on-Tees, Bromley, Bracknell Forest, Guildford, Swindon, Crawley, Reigate and Banstead, Sefton, West Berkshire, Derby, Tower Hamlets, Thanet, Knowsley, Leicester.
South Lanarkshire
Carmarthenshire (Llanelli), Rhondda Cynon Taf, Neath Port Talbot, Caerphilly.
Hubs scheduled to open in Year Two :
Norwich, East Suffolk, Cannock Chase, Greenwich, Ashford, North Northamptonshire, East Staffordshire, Thurrock, North East Derbyshire, Rother, North Devon, Harlow, Maidstone, Lincoln, Bedford, Torridge, Chorley, Milton Keynes, Arun, North Warwickshire, Cheshire West and Chester, Dartford, Breckland, Gedling, East Riding of Yorkshire, High Peak, North Norfolk, South Holland, South Ribble, Somerset, North Somerset, Stevenage, Havering, Slough, Fylde, Melton, West Northamptonshire, Castle Point, Teignbridge, Stafford, Lancaster, South Derbyshire, Canterbury, South Kesteven, Lewes, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cheshire East, Braintree, West Lancashire, Mid Devon, Colchester, North West Leicestershire, Redbridge, Hillingdon, Broxtowe, Bexley, Dacorum, Wychavon, Camden, Malvern Hills, South Staffordshire, Reading, Watford, North Yorkshire, Sutton, Southwark, Dorset, Rugby, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Tewkesbury, Merton, Kensington and Chelsea, Forest of Dean, Broxbourne.
Angus, Inverclyde, Dumfries and Galloway, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, Highland, East Lothian, Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross, Moray
Wales Vale of Glamorgan, Flintshire, Cardiff, Powys, Monmouthshire, Gwynedd
Lichfield, New Forest, Hinckley and Bosworth, Rushmoor, West Suffolk, Hertsmere, Central Bedfordshire, Staffordshire Moorlands, North Kesteven, Cheltenham, Adur, Rochford, Wiltshire, South Norfolk, Chelmsford, Eastleigh, Huntingdonshire, Test Valley, Bromsgrove, Tonbridge and Malling, North Hertfordshire, Wealden, Welwyn Hatfield, Tunbridge Wells, Cherwell, East Devon, Mid Suffolk, Oadby and Wigston, Fareham, Broadland, Sevenoaks, York, Maldon, Exeter, Derbyshire Dales, Charnwood, Blaby, Vale of White Horse, Stroud, West Devon, Babergh, South Gloucestershire, Harrow, Bath and North East Somerset, East Cambridgeshire, Stratford-upon-Avon, West Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Epsom and Ewell, South Hams, Epping Forest, Chichester, Warwick, Runnymede, Tandridge, Winchester, Brentwood, Harborough, Three Rivers, East Hampshire, St Albans, Cotswold, Horsham, Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire, Rushcliffe, East Hertfordshire, Mid Sussex, Ribble Valley, South Oxfordshire, Wokingham, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, Uttlesford, Hart, Rutland, Waverley, City of London.
Stirling, City of Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, Na h-Eileanan an Iar.
Ceredigion
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 15 June 2026.
Pressure piled on Russia as Prime Minister steps up support to power Ukraine at G7 Summit.
The UK is set to power Ukraine for the next two years and announce a new swathe of sanctions today [TUE] as the Prime Minister steps up support to ensure Ukraine can continue to fight for as long as it takes.
It comes as G7 gets under way in Evian, France, this morning, with the first roundtable session focused on building peace and security for Ukraine and for Europe. The Prime Minister is expected to speak during the session, telling leaders that the G7 should collectively go further to ensure Ukraine secures the just and lasting peace it deserves.
He will reiterate that the fighting needs to stop, an immediate ceasefire should be implemented, and that negotiations should start from the current line of contact.
The Prime Minister directed officials in recent weeks to step up support for Ukraine across every dimension, from military equipment to vital energy support and pressure on Putin’s war machine to ensure Ukraine’s momentum on the battlefield is sustained into next winter.
That pressure includes action on Russia’s shadow fleet, which was illustrated by the major military operation to interdict the SMYRTOS vessel in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Vital lessons from Ukraine, and how the UK can drive forward European security, are also expected to be a central focus of the Defence Investment Plan, which will be published ahead of the NATO Summit.
Russia’s aggression threatens not just Ukraine, but the security of all Europe.
That is why the UK is stepping up – choking off the revenues that fuel Putin’s war and powering Ukraine through the winters ahead.
We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and this announcement reinforces that. Putin should roll back his tanks, end his barbaric strikes, and come to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, the UK will power Ukraine’s nuclear plants for the next two years with £210 million of UK Export Finance support to enable UK-based Urenco to supply enriched uranium to Ukraine’s nuclear power producer, Energoatom. The deal was agreed between the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy during their meeting at Downing Street last week.
The deal is critical to Ukraine’s energy security, with Energoatom providing over 50% of the country’s electricity.
The agreement also supports UK jobs and exports, with more than a third of the uranium content originating from Urenco’s processing plant in the North-West of England. Urenco employs more than 650 people in the UK and its work at its Chester site supports more than 4,500 jobs around the UK in the wider supply chain.
The financing, backed by UKEF, builds on a previous two-year deal to supply nuclear fuel to Ukraine.
By securing Ukraine’s energy supply, the deal strengthens Ukraine’s resilience and ability to resist Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, directly supporting UK and Euro-Atlantic security interests.
Today’s major new sanctions package [16 June], expected to be announced later this morning, will choke Russia’s war effort across multiple fronts.
It will directly target Russia’s illicit shadow fleet and finance networks used to circumvent western sanctions and support military procurement.
The UK is expected to also be the first mover on sanctioning several Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vessels moving sanctioned Russian LNG.
This package is expected to bring UK sanctioned shadow fleet and Russian LNG vessels to more than 600.
The new measures are also expected to expose and target a Russian state linked network, involved in covertly procuring western technology for Russia’s military, as well as closing in on several third country suppliers helping Russia to illegally move money around the world.
STORY
The Home Affairs Committee is taking evidence on the impact of serious and organised crime on local neighbourhoods. The session was scheduled for 16 June as part of the committee’s work scrutinising crime, policing and Home Office policy.
The inquiry is expected to consider the effect of organised criminal activity on communities, including how national and local agencies respond to criminal networks. The issue includes concerns about drug markets, exploitation, fraud, violence and the use of vulnerable people by organised gangs.
The evidence session comes as crime and policing remain central political issues for the Government and opposition parties. The committee’s work will form part of Parliament’s wider scrutiny of enforcement, prevention and support for affected communities.
STORY
MPs drawn in the Private Members’ Bill ballot are presenting their Bills in the House of Commons this week. Parliament said the presentation of Bills would take place during Commons proceedings on 16 June.
Private Members’ Bills allow backbench MPs to introduce legislation outside the main Government programme, although only a small number usually make significant progress without ministerial support. The ballot gives selected MPs priority for parliamentary time on sitting Fridays.
The presentation of Bills marks the formal start of the process, with full details of individual proposals expected as the Bills are published and given future sitting dates. The Government’s own legislative programme is also continuing, including the Health Bill and other measures introduced in the new session.
STORY
The Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill is due to receive its second reading in the House of Lords, after completing its Commons stages earlier this month. The Bill would give ministers powers to bring a steel company into public ownership where this is judged to be in the public interest.
The Government has said the legislation is being fast-tracked because of the need to safeguard the future of the UK steel industry. Parliament’s Lords Library said the Bill completed its House of Commons stages on 9 June and was scheduled for Lords second reading on 16 June.
The legislation does not itself nationalise British Steel, but it would give the Government a route to do so if ministers decide that intervention is necessary. Peers are expected to examine the principles of the Bill and the case for expedited legislation.